Chapter 167 Battle of the Black Sea (4)
In the Turkish cabinet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Navy and other relevant personnel have been arguing for a long time over the issue of whether to release the "Greek" fleet. Both sides have their own opinions, and no one can convince the other.
The target this fleet has to deal with is obvious. I am afraid that after passing through the Bosporus and Dardanelles, it will not come out again and will continue to fight against the Red Army. As for whether the fleet will be based on Greece, France or Germany What difference does the flag make? Anyway, it is full of German navy soldiers - except that they are wearing the Greek navy uniforms. The focus of the debate is not on the essence of the fleet, but on whether to let this fleet pass and what impact it will have on Turkey.
Turkey is located at a key point on the Eurasian continent and is itself the focus of international conflicts. Of course, there are also pro-British and American and pro-German politicians. The attitudes of the two sides are very different and irreconcilable. In the end, the debate failed to come up with a solution that has the best of both worlds. , the two factions finally turned their attention to President Inonu, the supreme leader in the middle of the venue. He did not express his position directly, but only said: "The strength of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea is still not small..."
Although this sentence was a bit confusing, everyone understood what he was thinking.
"But……"
"There is nothing to be ashamed of..." President Inonu summed it up in one sentence, "Whether it is released or not is based on the treaty, and it is up to the commander of the defense zone to decide."
If it is done in accordance with the spirit of the treaty, the solution is of course to let it go without any doubt, as for the Greek fleet...
"Sir, do you think the Turks will let us pass?" Lieutenant Randolph, the adjutant, has followed Crank since he commanded the armored ship "Admiral Scheer", and also followed him after receiving the Toulon fleet. Come over.
"Of course..." Major General Krank smiled, "The Turks and the Russians are inseparable. As long as they still have smart people, they will know who we are going to deal with? No far-sighted Turkish politician will counterattack Russia’s position is loose.”
"But if that's the case, why don't the Turks just join us?"
"They are just waiting for the most suitable time. Just like the last war, we may need to give a push when necessary." In World War I, Germany, Austria, Turkey, and Bulgaria jointly formed the Allied Front, and Turkey was a close ally at the time. , among other things, the flagship of the Turkish Navy is still the Goeben gifted by Germany.
The power was decided to be delegated to Hakan Tiraf, but one big person after another kept calling him. These big people who were usually aloof and he didn't even dare to look up to him all came today, either threatening or asking for help. Persuade, or induce, and use various means to put pressure on him and tell him how to "handle" this problem. He was so anxious that he was at a loss as to what to do. Procrastination would definitely not work. It would offend everyone, and it was unrealistic to please everyone. In this position, he could only choose one faction to rely on. After comprehensive consideration and weighing, he finally made a single-minded decision to act in accordance with the president's opinion - fulfill the treaty obligations and release the ship!
"Sir." Adjutant Randolph shouted happily, "The other party let us go and displayed the flag: Good morning, Greek fleet, welcome to the Bosporus."
"Reply: Good morning, respected Turkish Navy!"
The Bosporus was passed smoothly, and the Dardanelles was no problem. Following Hakan Tirav's example, the commanders of the following defense zones immediately followed suit and allowed the passage. When the Soviet and British and American ambassadors arrived at the scene after hearing the news, the last supply ship of the fleet had left.
"Your country must pay the price for today's decision." The Soviet ambassador loudly protested.
"Really?" the Turkish Foreign Minister sneered, "I want to see what lessons your country is going to teach us. Do you want to start the 12th Russo-Turkish War?"
"Your country should not let the Germans pass." The tone of the British and American ambassadors was slightly gentler, but still maintained the same tone.
"But the passage of the Greek fleet through the strait is completely in compliance with the convention."
"First of all, this is not the Greek fleet, it is the French fleet that the Germans took advantage of; secondly, the Greeks do not have these warships."
"First of all, the French ambassador admitted that this is not the French fleet, and these warships have been removed from the French Navy; secondly, the fleet has Greek official documents and certificates, flies the Greek flag, and wears Greek military uniforms. Why is it not the Greek Navy?"
"There are no Greeks up there."
"I'm sorry, I don't know the Greeks. As long as any warship flies the Greek flag, wears Greek military uniforms, and obtains official Greek documents, we can also recognize it as the Greek navy." This is what the Turks use to argue, not to mention that Britain and the United States cannot do it. Even if they obtain the official Greek documents, with their arrogant personalities, can they wear Greek military uniforms and fly the Greek military flag?
"During the critical period of the war, any behavior should be cautious. Turkey's neutral status is hard-won. Relevant decisions should be made cautiously, and at least the opinions of major powers should be solicited."
"So, Germany is also a big country..." the Foreign Minister said slyly, "Do I need to ask the Germans for their opinions? Or maybe all countries agree with us to amend the treaty and confirm that the two straits are Turkey's own straits - unless Turkey agrees, any Even national warships cannot pass?”
The British and American ambassadors were speechless. Turkey's request was completely unacceptable to them, not to mention that they could not agree to it, and all the countries along the Black Sea could not agree to it.
"I think Britain and the United States don't want Turkey to tear up the Strait Convention, right?" the Turkish ambassador said, "We refuse the normal passage of the Greek fleet today. Some big countries will use the excuse that Turkey violates the convention and start a war. Can your country send a fleet in advance? Will you help us resist? What's more, whether to release it or not is Turkey's internal affairs. We are not targeting any specific third country. The crude interference in Turkey's internal affairs will definitely lead to results that no one wants to see. "
The British and American ambassadors actually had other considerations in mind. They received secret instructions from the country: Since the landing in North Africa was about to begin, in order to prevent the French fleet captured by the Germans from causing trouble to the landing, if they were willing to enter the Black Sea and cause trouble for the Russians, Turkey would let them go. If so, you can protest on the surface, but don't put too much pressure in fact. Moreover, Turkey's current attitude is very ambiguous. Once they are forced to join the axis, the Soviets will not be able to take advantage of it.
Therefore, in the end, all that was left was the Soviet ambassador who did not know the truth, and the Turkish Foreign Minister was too lazy to pay more attention to it.
"Führer, the operation was successful. The fleet has successfully passed through the two straits of Turkey. It is going to go to Romania for supplies today and can join the war tomorrow." Redel was so excited on the phone that his hearty laughter could be heard from far away. .
"Very good." Hoffman said with satisfaction, "Can Richthofen's naval aviation be dispatched?"
"Absolutely. They conducted a comprehensive drill yesterday and successfully hit the target. Especially the lightning strike operation went very smoothly."
"Initiate the Black Sea Operations Order and completely remove the Red Army's Black Sea Fleet..."
The shocked and angry Soviet ambassador quickly sent the information back to the country, and the news alarmed Comrade Stalin in the Kremlin.
"Are the Germans coming for our Black Sea Fleet?" Stalin asked doubtfully, "How did such a large naval fleet pass through the Turkish Strait so quickly?"
"It is very obvious that the Turks played a very bad role in it." People's Commissar of the Navy Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov angrily criticized.
"Let's put the Turkish issue aside for now. The battle on the southern flank is so tense right now. I would like to warn our comrades not to cause trouble with them now. We will leave this debt to be settled later."
Of course Comrade Stalin is not so easy to talk to, but neither are the 26 divisions deployed by the Turks near the Caucasus. The objective situation tells him that he must treat the Turkish issue with caution, because at such a tense moment of fighting on the southern flank, he cannot add any more factors of instability. .
"How many warships did the Germans come to?"
Kuznetsov gave a general introduction to the situation of the German fleet.
"It doesn't sound like there are any particularly powerful warships. Our navy should be capable of fighting?"
"If the fleet operates as quickly as possible, the Germans are not yet familiar with the situation of French warships. Once time passes, it will be troublesome for them to master all the technical essentials. At the same time, it will cause a huge deterrent to our Caucasus front. In case the German fleet enters Azov The sea area will cause huge interference to the current Uranus operations.”
Vasilevsky on the side originally had an indifferent attitude. When he thought of the threat of this fleet breaking into the Azov Sea, he could not remain indifferent. He suggested: "Would you like to ask the comrades of the Black Sea Fleet to see if we can Fight with the Germans as soon as possible and kill them if they don’t gain a firm foothold?”
Stalin nodded in agreement: "Notify the Black Sea Fleet of the enemy's fleet situation and seek the opinions of front-line commanders. If they say they can't fight, just avoid it. If they can fight, then resolutely destroy the enemy's arrogance."
"The news has come back. The fleet comrades said that the fleet still has strong combat strength and is not afraid of any enemy surface forces. It can definitely fight with them. However, it is hoped that more aircraft will cooperate with the operation. Now there are only 30 aircraft left in the base air force. There are more planes left.”
"Let the Caucasus Front dispatch another 60 aircraft to ensure that the fleet can be supported by 100 aircraft." After receiving the experience and lessons of the Voronezh Front's failure, Comrade Stalin was deeply troubled by the loss of air supremacy. The Caucasus Front, which was under the least pressure, had already withdrawn More than 100 aircraft went to the Don River for reinforcements. Now there are not many aircraft left on the south wing, and Vasilevsky is reluctant to do so.
"Please wait for the good news about the fleet." Kuznetsov replied confidently.